Waterloo, ON - The Western Mustangs erased a three-goal deficit in the second period Saturday night, but the comeback effort fell just short in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Laurier Golden Hawks. 

Laurier jumped out to an early lead in the first period as special teams played a major role. Western took three minor penalties in the first frame; Laurier opened the scoring at 6:18, then added power-play goals at 7:23 and 15:55 to build a 3-0 lead after 20 minutes. 

Western responded quickly in the second period and flipped the momentum entirely. Mustangs settled into their game and drew three straight Laurier penalties midway through the period. 

At 4:56, Nicholas Yearwood got Western on the board with a power-play goal, off a pass from Zach Power to make it 3-1. 

Just under five minutes later, Yearwood struck again. At 9:24, once again on the power play, finishing a setup from Power and Eric Van Impe to pull Western within one at 3-2. 

The Mustangs completed the comeback late in the period as Nathan Sauder scored at even strength, assisted by Zac McCann and Aidan Prueter to tie the game 3-3 heading into the third. 

The third period was physical and scoreless, with both teams trading chances but unable to find the net. The game headed into overtime after 20 minutes. Overtime lasted just over three minutes. The game ended at 3:37 when Laurier scored the winner. 

The Mustangs return home Wednesday, Jan. 28, at 7 p.m. to host the Windsor Lancers at Thompson Arena.